Flickering Friendship
by Color Me Surprised
Summary: No one talks to him. No one was there to help him through his hysteria; his only comfort was the bright addicting flames. Maybe... Maybe someone still had hope for him in this wide world? He dreams of the day he can finally call someone... His friend... Besides His beloved Balloonicorn of course.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own TF2. **

**Pyro POV- **

It was the end of another blood and sweat filled day at 2fort. I looked around at my teammates through my gas mask. They were congratulating each other, smiling, laughing…. It was a successful day, to say the least. None of them dared to even glance back at me or make conversation with me nearby. I don't mind, and I don't blame them. Thinking about it now makes me wish I _didn't _have schizophrenia. I wasn't inhuman or anything, I just have a mental problem. One second I have no problem seeing straight, then the next moment, everything turns into pleasant rainbows and my most cherished Balloonicorn, the mayor of Pyroland is happily following me wherever I go to spread cheer and happiness.

**But I damn well knew what I did during that time wasn't pleasant at all. **

Did it bother me? Not anymore at least. I was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 8. I've always had a fixation with fire. Who wouldn't?! Fire is beautiful…. It isn't evil at all. Fire is light. Fire is life. After the battles what I see is a split between Pyroland and reality. To calm myself down I usually just stare at a lit match for hours until it inches down the match and it gets to the tips of my fingers, lightly burning them. Then everything is clear again, and I'm left in my partially lit room, alone. Well, not completely. Saying that would be betraying the friendship Balloonicorn and I have. He's a great guy, despite his small drinking problem he has on his free days from the busy job as a mayor…. But…heh.. Back to the point.

As I followed my team back to our respected RED fort, My eyes darted around from person to person, though they couldn't see where my gaze was pointed. I suppressed a horrifying scream, and the urge to clutch my head and breakdown in front of them, because a small piece of me wishes they'd recognize this problem I have and comfort me, hold me.

_Please… hold me and tell me I'm not a monster…._

But I don't. I know they'd only stare at me and run away afraid I was going on one of my rampages. With a muffled sigh, I head towards my room, shutting the door behind me quietly, stumbling towards my bed. Slipping off my gas mask I reach for my box of matches and swipe it along the edge of the box, igniting it. I shift over to the mirror hung on my wall over my bed, and I stare at myself and the beautiful dancing flame in the reflection. I was Albino, a fact no one who was currently alive knew. My messy, medium long silky white hair stuck out in random directions, my red eyes seemingly glowing from the soft light of the fire. I had some small scars here and there, but nothing much, if you ignore the multiple burns on my finger tips that I mentioned earlier. Lighting a match was a nightly routine, and as usual, I intently stared at the fire, and when it reached my fingers, I let it burn them until they bled. It hurt. So I figured it was about time to put it out and get some sleep. Frustrated, I blow on it gently and it disappears.

It's funny. That's how easy it would be for someone to get rid of me. But the fear of what I do keeps them at bay. And it should stay that way, because I can't imagine a life any different than this, although I crave something better for myself.

Taking off my suit, I changed into a red T-shirt and some loose fitting sweat pants. My bed wasn't the softest thing in the world, but it was nice to get away from the pointless worries that everyone else probably had. Tomorrow was our day off, which made me smile to myself before I fell asleep.

**The next morning…. ~**

**Third person POV-**

Soldier had woken everyone up early. He always did despite their free days.

Heavy was eating his sandvich, Medic was humoring himself by talking to his doves while he sorted medical papers, Demo man was drinking his alcohol whilst Soldier was rambling on about something, and Sniper and Engineer were having a pleasant conversation in the opposite end of the room.

Meanwhile, Scout was running down the hallways, skidding to a halt at Pyro's door. Soldier had been pretty ticked that Pyro was the only one who ignore his morning wake up call, and ordered Scout to go remind him. Scout, whose real name was Nathan, hesitated at Pyro's door. Swallowing hard, he mustered up the courage to knock on the feared fire user's door. "Uhh…. H-hey Pyro. Solider wanted me to check if you were awake…. So… yeah. Didn't mean to bother ya."

No response came. Scout gave a confused look. Maybe he wasn't in his room….? If it were anybody else he would have gone in If the door wasn't locked and asked them if they were okay. But this was Pyro. Scout shivered and regretfully walked, not ran, just walked down the hallway towards where everyone else was. Was he doing the right thing by leaving Pyro alone? Was the guy even able to register feelings?

Nathan could remember having an abundance of friends during school, but he never really liked any of them. He simply enjoyed being the center of attention every now and then. He craved attention because his mother was usually out with some guy, grabbing a drink or two and coming home half drunk and exhausted. She would show affection, sure, but not as often as he'd like. He wondered if he was selfish for wanting that….

When he reached the room his teammates were in, Solider looked up at Scout expectantly. "Well?"

"Oh…. I didn't really talk to him at all." Soldier gave an annoyed grunt before turning back to Demo man.

Everyone looked preoccupied, leave out Sniper and Engineer… And Spy, wherever he was. Scout made his way over to them and opened his mouth to say something, but he was cut off. "If it's another one of yer pranks, leave me out of it." Engineer said, not looking up from the little sentry he was messing with.

Scout gave him a dirty look. "….Fine, geez…. Be that way." He walked away from the two older men, heading down the hallway again. And into the Intel room. Sniper watched him go with a thoughtful gaze. What was he up to this time?

Scout sat down in the large office chair in the Intel room. He stared down at the red briefcase. They defended this as a team, all striving for the same goal. But what kind of team were they if they left someone out? "A pretty fuckin' messed up one…" He mumbled to himself.

"And what, may I ask, are you talking about?" A French accented voice came from behind him making him visibly flinch; something that Scout thought the Spy got a kick out of. "Ugh… stop doing that, you sneaky bastard…" He mumbled once again. Spy watched him, waiting for an answer.  
"Okay, fine. I was thinking about the team; about Pyro. We know next to nothing about him. What kind of team are we if we treat him like the plague?" Spy didn't say anything else. He just walked out of the room without another word.

Scout banged his fist down on the table. What was that guy's problem?! Sniper piped up from the door way. "It's not because we hate him, mate, it's because of what the Medic told us."

Scout looked up curiously. "What…?" The Aussie leaned against the door frame.

"Medic told us the Pyro's mental state, form what he's observed so far, is a lost cause. I've tried to communicate with…. _It… _many times before, believe me. But Pyro ends up throwing some kind of fit and stormin' off."

He stood up and pushed past Sniper on his way out of the Intel room, turning back to look at him.

"…He's not a lost cause. You guys just haven't tried hard enough…."


	2. Chapter 2- Seeing the Ghost

**Thanks so much for your reviews. I wasn't even sure this story would be liked by many people. Anyways, I really like the head canon of Pyro being Albino. I just think it suits him. Also. I got a new computer mouse. Yay me. :3 **

**DISCLAIMER- I do not own TF2. **

**Pyro POV-**

I could have sworn I heard someone knocking on my door. I think it was Scout? The thick doors that adorned each room muffled out most sounds. Besides, wouldn't want a cranky gunman, right? I rolled over in bed. The day off I had was being spent lying in my poorly lit room. Boring. Standing up, I stretched and looked around. My fire suit and gas mask were on the ground just beside my closet, and my box of matches was sitting on my nightstand, as usual. Nothing was out of place.

However there was something bothering me. My throat was unbearably itchy and dry. Heading to the door, my hand lingered on the door knob. I glanced back at my suit again. Putting on my suit and mask just to go down for maybe a minuet for some water was ridiculous. Twisting the door knob, I stepped outside, but not before looking down the hallway to see if anyone was watching. "….Must've gone out to do a group activity.." I muttered to myself. Hearing my own voice after weeks of remaining silent sounded weird to me. Balloonicorn wasn't exactly the conversation type. So that left out anyone I had to talk with.

Once I had made my way into the kitchen, I quickly grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator, drinking some of it, almost choking when I heard the loud boisterous laugh of Heavy from outside. I was right, then. They had all gone out to chat and get some fresh air. I sigh before drinking the rest of my water, stalking back down the hallway and into my room once more.

But of course, Balloonicorn had managed to get drunk again while I was gone. It wasn't even the weekend, though... It was Wednesday I think. His drinking problem was getting worse then. How troublesome.

**Sniper POV-**

I peered down the scope of my sniper rifle, watching for any movement while I sat up in my nest. My full attention wasn't on looking for heads to snipe on my damn free day though, I was thinking about what Scout had said...

_Flashback-_

_Scout banged his fist down on the table. What was that guy's problem?! Sniper piped up from the door way. "It's not because we hate him, mate, it's because of what the Medic told us."_

_Scout looked up curiously. "What…?" The Aussie leaned against the door frame._

_"Medic told us the Pyro's mental state, form what he's observed so far, is a lost cause. I've tried to communicate with…. It… many times before, believe me. But Pyro ends up throwing some kind of fit and stormin' off."_

_He stood up and pushed past Sniper on his way out of the Intel room, turning back to look at him._

_"…He's not a lost cause. You guys just haven't tried hard enough…." _

_End Flashback-_

The conversation from the day before wouldn't stop pestering me. What more could I do beside trying to have a nice conversation with Pyro? It's not like you can just walk up to someone and demand to know everything about them. That would be sort of stalker- like, and I sure as hell wasn't going to find out all of Pyro's secrets just to prove a point-

Hold that thought. I saw movement from inside the base through an open window... Who was that? It appeared to be a very pale man with white hair. He looked in his twenties, like Scout, but the man was fairly taller than the runner. He was just grabbing some water to drink, apparently, but I couldn't figure out why a stranger would waltz into the RED base just for a drink... Or how the mongrel even found his way to 2Fort. My finger tightened ever so slightly around the trigger, but for the first time, the person I was staring at through the scope interested me. I have never seen anyone with skin that pale and colorless before. I couldn't bring myself to shoot him down, and I had an uneasy feeling in my gut, as If I had just seen a ghost...

**Third person POV- **

It was mid-day now and everyone was still happily chatting away, for today, there was nothing to really worry about. The free days they had heightened their moods and gave them time to socialize, for most of them at least. Scout was telling jokes to the others, Heavy and Demo man being the only two who actually laughed at them, demo man because he was drunk, and Heavy because he didn't fully understand an American's sense of humor. Everyone looked over at Sniper as he climbed down from his perch and walked towards the door to the base. "Yo snipes, where're you goin'? Why not join the rest of us?" It was obvious by the cheery tone of Scout's voice that he wasn't thinking about yesterdays conversation or the sudden interest in Pyro that confused his teammates to no end. They couldn't grasp why anyone, let alone Scout who calls the mysterious fire user a freak, would want to know more about him. Sniper merely mumbled "I'm busy" before shutting the door curtly behind himself. You can't really blame Scout though. Today was one of their rare free days. No one would want to spend it wondering about a psychopath. Neither did Sniper, but he had a hunch that the ghostly man he saw may have something to do with said psychopath...

Sniper pulled up a chair and sat at the end of the hallway with a rope in hand. He was no cowboy, but that didn't mean he couldn't easily use a lasso to tie someone up. And that was his plan. He would tie up and interrogate the person he saw. All he had to do now was wait.

**Pyro POV- **

The next few hours were spent pacing in a circle int he middle of my room. How was I going to help convince Balloonicorn to stop drinking so much? The people of Pyroland needed their mayor, and so did I! Glancing back at him, I saw how truly drunk he really was. Poor guy... I should have gotten some water for him to drink too. Because of my selfishness he has a headache now. Another quick trip to the kitchen would hurt, right? Everyone else was preoccupied anyways, and Ballonicorn needed something to drink... other than alcohol. I sigh and hesitate at the door again before pushing it open, not bothering to look down the hall first, but I regret not checking. Before I could walk any further, a rope was thrown around me. Whoever it was sure knew how to tie a knot. It was so tight around my chest, it was sorta hard to breathe. I gave an annoyed grunt. It was Sniper. Someone saw me. This ruins everything. He'll tell the others and then they'll make fun of me behind my back. All the respect they had for me will go down the drain.

He looked at me with a curious expression, but promptly whacked me upside the head with something blunt. Not hard enough to draw blood... but my vision was getting blurry...

**Third person POV-**

Sniper watched as he passed out from the cautious but forceful blow. He can interrogate this guy and find out what his business is here once he wakes back up.

And ask him why he was in Pyro's room. That is, if this guy wasn't Pyro himself. Sniper flung the unconscious Pyro over his shoulder and walked back to the kitchen where everyone had flooded back into when the sun began to set over the horizon.

everyone turned towards Sniper as he sat Pyro down in a corner. Scout piped up, "Who the hell is _that?!" _

**(A/N)- Hope you like the second chapter. If there are any mistakes, don't hesitate to point them out. I'll fix it as soon as I can if there are any. Review and tell me what you think! :) **


	3. Chapter 3- Origins and Names

**Oh my gosh look at all these reviews. LOOK AT THEM. Thank you so much for the positive feedback 3; Sorry for the wait. Here's chapter 3~ **

**Pyro POV-**

I could feel the drowsiness of sleep slowly fading as the noises of hushed voices and burning stares began to really bother me. I shifted trying to get in a more comfortable position. There was a throbbing in my head from where Sniper whacked me… wait, I remember now. He tied me up, and the rope was rubbing on my bare skin making it raw and irritated. My eyes slowly opened, but a bright overhead light caused me to quickly shut them again. How can the others stand this much light?! It's unbearable!

There was an awkward silence as everyone (probably) took a second to stare at me before going back to small conversations. Luckily my eyes weren't open to see the (I'm guessing were) probing and secret seeking curious looks. I listened carefully to their chatter to see if I could make out any of it…..

**Scout POV- **

"So… back to the subject… _Who is this guy?!" _My voice held a little too much sarcasm than I initially meant to say it with, but whatever. That happens all the time. Sniper turned to me with an annoyed gaze. "I think he's the Pyro. Didn't ya hear me the other five times I told you?" I shrugged and glanced at the pale man who was trying to get his eyes to adjust to the lights. '_Pfft. What a sissy. It's just a little light.' _

"Well." Everyone looked over at the Medic who was quietly studying the tied up ghost from a far. "If you all don't mind, I'm going to take the… 'Pyro' back to the infirmary. Perhaps a few blood tests will reveal who he really is."

I frowned. "Yeah, like you've kept vials of his blood in your creepy laboratory like some sort of mad scientist…" I couldn't help but mutter, but of course, he heard me.

"I _Do, dummkopf._ I'm a doctor. I have vials of everyone's blood. If the blood I collected from Pyro when I preformed the Uber surgery match his, then we will know." The other seemed to agree with the idea. I wasn't so sure. Why not as him instead of sticking needles in him….? I watched him with growing curiosity. He was _still _complaining with himself about the light… What a weirdo.

**Third person POV- **

The sun continued to set along the horizon in a peaceful way, while the Medic dragged Pyro back to the infirmary. There was a lot of struggling, and Pyro ended up accidentally kicking over one of the dove cages, breaking it open. The small white feathery bird swiftly flew out an opened window, never to be seen again. The Medic frowned angrily and began cursing in German. This guy was lucky that wasn't Archimedes…. But it still ticked him off that he lost one of his beloved doves. Medic left Pyro still tied up on the infirmary table as he walked away down the hall, probably to grab something from his room.

Pyro sighed. He wanted to apologize right when he hit the cage with his foot but…. He was horrible with social situations. As a result, he simply kept quiet most of the time. His silence often gave others an uncomfortable and creeped out feeling, so it was counterproductive, no matter how much Pyro preferred to stay temporarily mute. He lifted his head as he heard one of the back doors creak open. Was that Scout…? What was he doing here? The runner approached the infirmary table and took out Spy's butterfly knife, cutting the tight rope that was tied around Pyro's torso and arms. Pyro sat up, giving Scout a curious look. "C'mon, mumbles… lets go before that mad scientist comes back."

Pyro didn't move he just stared. "Well? I can tie you up again so you can get jabbed with needles instead." That made him quickly stand up from the table and follow Scout out the back door, carefully shutting it behind him. Scout made a motion with his arm for Pyro to keep following him.

They both climbed up to the roof where there was an easy view of the setting sun that was now almost completely gone behind the horizon. "….Why did you… help me?" Pyro's voice was small and shy. He wasn't even sure if Scout picked up on his question or not.

"I dunno. I just don't like needles myself, so why would I sit back and watch someone else being experimented on? I'm not heartless, dude." Pyro stared again. Wow. Everyone here has really good hearing…

"Uhh… Thanks." Pyro glanced away at a couple of crows pecking the ground and cawing. He liked crows. Crows were cute and soft like doves… right? Maybe he could…

"No problem. Anyways, are you really the Pyro?" Scout looked at him, tilting his head slightly. "….Yeah."

"I know we aren't supposed to give out our real names, but mine is Nathan. What's yours?"

"…Lucian." Pyro hoped Scout wouldn't discriminate him by his name. Do people even do that? He wasn't sure. Did names matter? Was he supposed to say something nice about Scout's real name? Social situations… UGH.

"Hmm… I think I'll just call you Luke for short. Isn't Lucian French or somethin'?"

Pyro shook his head. "It can be, but it has a Romanian origin as well…"

"So you're Romanian?"

Pyro nodded.

"That's cool I guess. We should go back inside. People are gunna assume you killed me or something." Scout laughed a bit. "That wouldn't turn out well."

The two mercenaries walked back inside the base, and were greeted by a displeased Medic and a grumpy Spy who wanted his butterfly knife back. Pyro didn't stay to watch the little scuffle. Instead, he walked back to his room to find Balloonicorn doing paperwork. What a responsible Mayor.

Pyro flopped down onto his bed and stared at the ceiling. How was he going to ask Nathan to be his friend? Is that a normal thing to ask someone if you wanted to be friends? He ran his fingers through his soft white hair, sighing.

Tomorrow would be a busy day.

**(A/N)- Okay, so… I looked up names on a baby name website, and looking through the Romanian names, I found one, Lucian, that meant Light or illumination. So I thought that would be perfect for Pyro! Lucian was also a French name, but I felt most comfortable making Pyro Romanian. **

**Hope that's okay…? My main goal is for you guys to like the story. If you have any suggestions, by all means, review or message me. Don't be afraid to talk to me! **


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